The second half of the twentieth century witnessed some of the most remarkable advances in human technology. Man set foot on the moon; open-heart surgeries became a norm; the Intel Pentium chip exploded the limits of microtechnology; and the Internet ran wild linking dozens of super computers across the globe.

Yet, these same highly intelligent beings, in the need to embrace some form of religious freedom and spiritual contentment, led themselves be misled by false prophets with their apocalyptic ravings. Exploiting the weakness and vulnerability of their followers, these harbingers of doom destroyed thousands of lives and swindled millions of dollars in personal savings, valuables and property.

There is no doubt that there were true Prophets (peace be upon them) despatched by God Almighty to lead mankind through the social, psychological and spiritual wilderness of life on Earth. These Prophets came equipped with the precise message from Almighty Allah who fully understands the needs of mankind, the jewel of His creation.

The Prophets were chosen by Allah from among human beings, who though outwardly are like us but inwardly are men of extremely high moral, spiritual and intellectual standards that qualify them to be the bearers of His light to the world. It is not a position attained by conscious effort, but a Grace from Allah to those most deserving.

Belief in the Prophets is one of the articles of faith in Islam. The Arabic word for Prophet is Nabi or Rasool.

The Holy Qur'an, revealed more than 1,400 years ago to the Arabian Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), offers much to the reader about the nature of prophethood, the trails and tribulations they faced, as well as the assurances of ultimate victory from Allah. It explicitly supports the message brought by the early patriarchs and prophets, as seen in the following verses:

"We have sent you Inspiration as we sent it to Nooh and the Messengers after him. We sent Inspiration to Ibraheem, Ismaa'il, Ishaq, Ya'qoob and the tribes; to Isa, Ayoob, Yunoos, Haroon and Sulaiman. And to Dawood, we gave the Psalms. Of some apostles We have already told you the story, of others We have not; and to Musa, Allah (SWT) spoke directly.” [An-Nisaa': 163-164]

Muhammad (pbuh) (570 - 632 A.D.) is the final Messenger of Almighty Allah, and the seal of the long line of prophets, to guide mankind to lead a virtuous life in accordance with the commands of Allah. Although, Allah bestowed upon all of His Prophets the power of performing miracles in order to alleviate the nature of their mighty task, they were nevertheless mere mortals as expounded in the following Qur'anic verse:

"Muhammad is no more than an Apostle; many were the Apostles that passed away before him. If he died or were slain, will you then back on your heels? If any do turn back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; but Allah (on the other hand) will swiftly reward those who (serve) Him with gratitude.” [Ale-Imraan: 144]

The Holy Qur'an specifically mentions 25 prophets by name. The following list depicts the names of all of them as mentioned in the Qur'an:

1. Adam M
2. Idrees
3. Nooh
4. Hood
5. Salih
6. Ibrahim
7. Loot
8. Ismail
9. Ishaque
10. Yaqoob
11. Yusuf
12. Ayyub
13. Zulkifl
14. Shuaib
15. Moosa
16. Haroon
17. Dawood
18. Sulaiman
19. Ilyas
20. Ilyasa'
21. Younus
22. Zakariya
23. Yahya
24. Isa
25. Muhammad (pbuh)

The hadeeth (sayings of the Prophet - pbuh), too, have numerous references to the close relationship between all the Prophets. Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet SAW said:

"Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all the people to Jesus, the son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one." [Bukhari]

The second Rightly Guided Caliph, Omar Al-Khattaab , narrated:
"I heard the Prophet (pbuh) saying, 'Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave. So, call me the Slave of Allah and His Apostle." [Bukhari]

Abu Saeed (r.a.) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said:

"Nooh and his nation will come (on the Day of Resurrection and Allah will ask (Nooh), "Did you convey (the Message)?" He will reply, "Yes, O my Lord!" Then Allah will ask Nooh's nation, "Did Nooh convey My Message to you?" They will reply, "No, no prophet came to us.' Then Allah will ask Nooh, "Who will stand a witness for you?" He will reply, "Muhammad (pbuh) and his followers (will stand witness for me)." So, I and my followers will stand as witnesses for him (that he had conveyed Allah's Message)." That is, (the interpretation) of the Statement of Allah : "Thus we have made you a just and the best nation that you might be witnesses over mankind." [Bukhari]